The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for producing a string of a pasty material, such as sausagemeat or the like products.
The invention concerns, in particular, an apparatus for producing a sausage string comprising at least an extrusion head which has at least one conveyor conduit for the pasty material to be shaped into a string, wherein the conveyor conduit has an inlet and an outlet, and which has a receiving chamber for a casing material to be applied to the string, wherein the receiving chamber has an entry for the casing material and an exit for applying the casing material to the string surface.
Apparatuses and methods of the above-indicated general kind are usually employed to produce sausage strings or individual sausages whose outer casing is made from collagen or alginate instead of a natural skin. The pasty material, preferably sausagemeat or the like meat-bearing products, is usually kept in readiness in a filling hopper of a sausage production machine like, for example, a filling machine and is processed by way of an extrusion head to provide a sausagemeat string, which is preferably continuously conveyed and is thus uniform. To impart a desired strength to the sausagemeat string and thus to prevent unwanted breakage of the string or to achieve a simplification in further processing by, for example, a dividing device which individually separates the sausages from the string, there is applied to the string surface a casing material like for example collagen or alginate. Collagen and alginate are materials which are capable of flow and which after being applied to the string surface set after a short period of time and form a firm casing on the sausagemeat string. To expedite setting of the casing material applied to or disposed on the string surface and thus to simplify further processing of the string of pasty material, the casing material, which now constitutes the outside surface of the string, is brought into contact with an application agent for causing the casing material to set. The casing material is caused to set in a very short time by the application agent which includes, for example, a calcium solution and thus a relatively firm case is formed around the sausagemeat string.
Known apparatuses have at least an extrusion head with at least one conveyor conduit for the pasty material to be shaped into a string. The conveyor conduit is provided with an inlet for the still unshaped, pasty material and an outlet for the material which is then shaped within the conveyor conduit to give a string. The outlet for the casing material to be applied to the surface of the string is associated with the end region of the conveyor conduit. In addition, the apparatuses for producing a string from a pasty material, which are known for example from EP 1 371 293 B1 or WO 99/22600 A, have an applicator device for applying an application agent for causing the casing material to set to the sausage string, the applicator device being arranged downstream of the extrusion head in the conveyor direction. The applicator device is frequently arranged immediately downstream of the extrusion head so as to cause the casing material to set at an early time and related thereto short to even no waiting times are to be tolerated for further processing. EP 1 371 293 B1 discloses for example the provision of an applicator device comprising a pipe which is wound to form a coil and with which an annular shower is formed for the sausage string which is passed through the free cross-section of the wound pipe conduit. The sausages produced with the known apparatuses and processes always involve a straight orientation after production. The sausages produced can admittedly be shaped without any problem, but they always return to their straight orientation if the force acting on the sausages is removed. In contrast to strings of sausages which are filled using natural skins, sausages which are of a straight configuration of that kind lack the natural curved shape.